RTENL, if given the go-ahead to broadcast BBC 1 and BBC 2 just have to make 2 slots available on a mux, rig the approved feeds of BBC 1 and BBC 2 into their encoders, and bobs your uncle. Everything is in place already. There is no cost.

Surely RTENL are not going to transmit anyone for free. They have to be paid for somehow, and no-one said how . How would TV3 etc react if they did?

Any costs to BBC Worldwide would be miniscule compared with the transmission costs BTW

Surely RTENL are not going to transmit anyone for free. They have to be paid for somehow. How would TV3 etc react if they did?

TV3 are NOT in direct competition with BBC, UTV maybe are. UTV would love to get on the Republic's DTT platform. There are arguments that TV3 could put forward if UTV applied to go on the MUX, but certainly not the BBC.

Regardless of that, surely TV3 would throw a huge tantrum if, on the one hand, other TV channels (regardless of who they were) were to be transmitted on DTT for free by RTENL (i.e. effectively subsidised by others), whilst on the other hand a large fee is demanded by RTE NL of TV3 for DTT transmission?
They have to treat everything equally in relation to transmission costings ?

Regardless of that, surely TV3 would throw a huge tantrum if, on the one hand, other TV channels (regardless of who they were) were to be transmitted on DTT for free by RTENL (i.e. effectively subsidised by others), whilst on the other hand a large fee is demanded by RTE NL of TV3 for DTT transmission?
They have to treat everything equally in relation to transmission costings ?

Such was the nature and spirit of the Memorandum of Understanding directive which incidently Ryan is ripping up before our very eyes.
TV3 was and will never be part of any such an agreement. Nor probably will UTV.
Only RTE, TG4 and the BBC are part of the said agreement.

Such was the nature and spirit of the Memorandum of Understanding directive which incidently Ryan is ripping up before our very eyes.
TV3 was and will never be part of any such an agreement. Nor probably will UTV.
Only RTE, TG4 and the BBC are part of the said agreement.

This describes Ryans entire political career and the sooner we are rid of him the better.

However he can order a commercial must carry on the FTA mux by amending the broadcasting act 2007 which means that BBC could get maybe 2 channels but not pay for a FULL mux like the commercials but for a FRACTIONAL mux instead. That is compliant with the 'ensure' bit of the MoU.

I reckon RTE will have to pay carry too, only TG4 will go free. Why the Beeb would bother with FTA Sat and Overspill available everywhere I dunno, they would never pay for a full mux.

Party delivers on 2007 pledge for free-to-air TV services across the island

Down Green Party Councillor Cadogan Enright has welcomed the news that Communications Minister Eamon Ryan was able to reach agreement with his British counterpart Ben Bradshaw on key aspects of the digital TV future for the island of Ireland.

Councillor Cadogan Enright said: "The deal reached this week will provide free BBC and RTÉ digital TV services to households across the island, following the switchover to digital television. This will benefit hundreds of thousands of people – especially those without access to paid-for cable and satellite services."

"Whether people are interested in sport, drama, history or culture, both BBC and RTÉ offer a wide range of compelling programming and I am delighted that households in Down will be able to access all of these programmes after the analogue TV signals are switched off in the years ahead."

"In recent weeks we have seen evidence of the gulf that still exists between communities within Northern Ireland. It is also clear that there is a lack of understanding between people living in the north and south of the island. So it is very much in the interest of fostering cultural understanding and development between all communities that these channels should be freely accessibly across the island. The Good Friday Agreement and St Andrews Agreement recognise the importance of the unique cultural and linguistic diversities that exist on the island of Ireland, and this will help to promote and protect those diversities."

"The Green Party first called for there to be an all-island digital 'free to air' broadcasting service carrying RTÉ and BBC channels back in 2007, before entering Government in the Republic of Ireland. It is fantastic to see this commitment becoming a reality," Cllr Enright said

"When we went into power with Fianna Fail in the Republic we made sure that included in the agreed Program for Government were cross-border issues that directly concerned us here in County Down. Issues like mobile phone charges, banking competition, public transport and targets for renewable energy on the all-Island Grid. With this latest announcement, we have successfully ticked another item off the list and it will delight many voters across South Down," he said.

Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources Eamon Ryan and Ben Bradshaw, Secretary of Culture, Media and Sport signed a Memorandum of Understanding in London on Monday, 1 February 2010. This provides a framework for the changes that are taking place in Northern Ireland and Ireland to the technologies used in the reception of television services. Switchover in Northern Ireland is planned for 2012 with digital TV rollout being planned for Ireland on a similar timescale.

The Memorandum commits the two Governments to facilitating the widespread availability of RTE services in Northern Ireland and BBC services in Ireland on a free-to-air basis. It will also ensure the continuing widespread availability of the Irish language channel TG4 in Northern Ireland following the digital switchover.

New Text in the Press Releases

Quote:

The Memorandum commits the two Governments to facilitating the widespread availability of RTE services in Northern Ireland on a free-to-air basis and BBC services in Ireland on a paid for basis. It will also ensure the continuing widespread availability of the Irish language channel TG4 in Northern Ireland following the digital switchover.

Thanks Guys. Screenshot of original green party announcement taken just before they kick their webmaster in the hole for not wiping his masters prints off the mess he created in Belfast . This is the second retraction by that lying moron Eamon Ryan in just a week .

"It is somehow apt that the 'smart' and 'green' policies espoused by Minister Ryan are represented by a website that directly compares nothing to absolutely nothing,"?said Eamonn Wallace, Ireland Offline chairman. "These companies and their packages generally no longer exist, just like the broadband policy in his own department no longer exists. The website has not been touched since 2007."

Digital switchover is due to happen in 2012. The British and Irish governments have agreed to work together to ensure that people in NI can still receive RTE when the analogue signal is switched off. Currently many people in Northern Ireland receive RTE's output via so-called "analogue overspill." The analogue signal is due to be switched off in the next two years, meaning the channels will only be available on digital equipment. The governments said they want RTE to remain "widely available" in NI. In a memorandum of understanding the two governments said they also want to make sure that BBC services remain available in the Irish Republic. The governments specifically want the channels to be available on Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) which will be the platform viewers use to receive free-to-air television when the analogue signal ends. DTT is widely available in Northern Ireland as Freeview. A DTT system is now starting to be built in the Irish Republic. The governments want arrangements to be put in place to allow for the development of digital reception equipment which is compatible with the technical standards applied in both jurisdictions. They also want to make sure that space is available on the DTT systems in the Irish Republic and Northern Ireland for BBC and RTE respectively. The governments said they will consult with the broadcasters on costs and rights issues.

When the Greens went into government, the reason they gave for dumping 95% of their manifesto promises was that by securing two senior ministerial positions, they could be more effective in promoting change through those positions.

Once again we see just how effective the Greens, and Ryan in particular, are as government ministers.

Thanks Guys. Screenshot of original green party announcement taken just before they kick their webmaster in the hole for not wiping his masters prints off the mess he created in Belfast . This is the second retraction by that lying moron Eamon Ryan in just a week .

MINISTER FOR Communications Eamon Ryan has put a stay on the appointment of candidates recommended by an Oireachtas committee to the boards of both RTÉ and the new Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) because of a legal difficulty that has emerged.

In what has been portrayed as an “embarrassing cock-up” by the Opposition, Mr Ryan has received legal advice that the appointment of people to the boards who themselves are involved with, or have an interest in, broadcasting may not comply with the Broadcasting Act 2009, which provides for the appointments process.

The Irish Times understands that the legal difficulty may extend to members that Mr Ryan has already appointed to the new boards of RTÉ and the BAI during the autumn of 2009. They have already participated in meetings of the new boards.

The new system for appointments allows the Oireachtas Committee on Communications, chaired by Fianna Fáil TD MJ Nolan, to recommend four candidates for each of the boards of RTÉ, the BAI and TG4. After a public consultation process, over 280 people applied for the positions on RTÉ and the BAI. After what one member described as a rigorous and thorough process, the committee unanimously agreed to recommend eight candidates in December.

The Minister was due to ratify the appointments in January but it did not happen. The legal issue emerged after committee member Liz McManus TD (Labour) raised the delays in appointing the members twice on the Dáil Order of Business, most recently last Tuesday.

Yesterday, a spokeswoman for the department said the reason for the delay was because of legal advice that the appointments of those with an interest in broadcasting may not be in compliance with the Act.

She said the matter had been referred to Attorney General Paul Gallagher and that no appointment could be made pending advice received from him. She said that Mr Ryan had also sought a meeting with the committee to be held “in camera”. Asked why it should be held in private, she said the sole reason was because it would involve a discussion of named individuals.

Ms McManus, her party’s communications spokeswoman, said yesterday that the process had descended into a mess.

“It all sounds extraordinary to me that this issue should only emerge now after the committee has completed a very lengthy, careful and complex process. It smacks of incompetence. The Government could not run a bath.”

Simon Coveney, of Fine Gael, said it was a “hugely embarrassing cock-up” for the Government.

“This is extraordinary. People chosen as suitable for the board are deemed ineligible for the board now. If the Act excludes people with an interest in broadcasting, it’s nonsensical,” he said.